A roadmap for rural area ICT solution deployment : a case of Kgautswane community in South Africa

Abstract

The need to introduce technologies in rural areas so as to capacitate communities towards overcoming various socio-economic challenges remains a priority in emerging economies. We rely on the foregoing for the investigation in the Kgautswane community in South Africa, of a range of socio-economic challenges that can be addressed through ICT. Identified challenges are further filtered for the selection of an appropriate intervention based on previous experience in the community. The appropriate challenge forms the basis for the development and deployment of an eProcurement ICT solution for small scale traders in the community with emphasis on the concept of a sociopreneur (socio-economic service provider) for leveraging the socio-economic impact of the solution deployed. The overall process is relied upon to develop a roadmap for ICT solution deployment in rural areas that can serve as a blueprint for undertaking similar interventions in the framework of ICT for development.